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Topic: Ignatous of Antioch (Read 1270 times)

In the Martyrology we read: "At Rome, the holy bishop and martyr Ignatius. He was the second successor to the apostle Peter in the see of Antioch. In the persecution of Trajan he was condemned to the wild beasts and sent in chains to Rome. There, by the emperor's order, he was subjected to most cruel tortures in the presence of the Senate and then thrown to the lions. Torn to pieces by their teeth, he became a victim for Christ."

The bishop and martyr Ignatius occupies a foremost place among the heroes of Christian antiquity. His final journey from Antioch to Rome was like a nuptial procession and a Way of the Cross. For the letters he wrote along the way resemble seven stations of the Cross; they may also be called seven nuptial hymns overflowing with the saint's intense love for Christ Jesus and his longing to be united with Him. These letters are seven most precious jewels in the heirloom bequeathed to us by the Church of sub-apostolic times.

The year of St. Ignatius' death is unknown; perhaps it occurred during the victory festivities in which the Emperor Trajan sacrificed the lives of 10,000 gladiators and 11,000 wild beasts for the amusement of the bloodthirsty populace. The scene of his glorious triumph and martyrdom was most likely the Colosseum; that mammoth structure, glittering with gold and marble, had then been just completed.

"From Syria to Rome I must do battle with beasts on land and sea. For day and night I am chained to ten leopards, that is, the soldiers who guard me and grow more ferocious the better they are treated. Their mistreatment is good instruction for me, yet am I still far from justified. Oh, that I may meet the wild beasts now kept in readiness for me. I shall implore them to give me death promptly and to hasten my departure. I shall invite them to devour me so that they will not leave my body unharmed as already has happened to other witnesses. If they refuse to pounce upon me, I shall impel them to eat me. My little children, forgive me these words. Surely I know what is good for me. From things visible I no longer desire anything; I want to find Jesus. Fire and cross, wild beasts, broken bones, lacerated members, a body wholly crushed, and Satan's every torment, let them all overwhelm me, if only I reach Christ."

The saint, now condemned to fight the wild beasts, burned with desire for martyrdom. On hearing the roar of the lions he cried out: "I am a kernel of wheat for Christ. I must be ground by the teeth of beasts to be found bread (of Christ) wholly pure".

Heartiest greetings of pure joy in Jesus Christ from Ignatius, the “God-inspired,” to the church at Ephesus in Asia. Out of the fullness of God the Father you have been blessed with large numbers and are predestined from eternity to enjoy forever continual and unfading glory. The source of your unity and election is genuine suffering which you undergo by the will of the Father and of Jesus Christ, our God. Hence you deserve to be considered happy.

1 I gave a godly welcome to your church which has so endeared itself to us by reason of your upright nature, marked as it is by faith in Jesus Christ, our Saviour, and by love of him. You are imitators of God; and it was God’s blood that stirred you up once more to do the sort of thing you do naturally and have now done to perfection. For you were all zeal to visit me when you heard that I was being shipped as a prisoner from Syria for the sake of our common Name and hope. I hope, indeed, by your prayers to have the good fortune to fight with wild beasts in Rome, so that by doing this I can be a real disciple. In God’s name, therefore, I received your large congregation in the person of Onesimus, your bishop in this world, a man whose love is beyond words. My prayer is that you should love him in the spirit of Jesus Christ and all be like him. Blessed is He who let you have such a bishop. You deserved it.

2 Now about my fellow slave Burrhus, your godly deacon, who has been richly blessed. I very much want him to stay with me. He will thus bring honor on you and the bishop. Crocus too, who is a credit both to God and to you, and whom I received as a model of your love, altogether raised my spirits (May the Father of Jesus Christ grant him a similar comfort!), as did Onesimus, Burrhus, Euplus, and Fronto. In them I saw and loved you all. May I always be glad about you, that is, if I deserve to be! It is right, then, for you to render all glory to Jesus Christ, seeing he has glorified you. Thus, united in your submission, and subject to the bishop and the presbytery, you will be real saints.

3 I do not give you orders as if I were somebody important. For even if I am a prisoner for the Name, I have not yet reached Christian perfection. I am only beginning to be a disciple, so I address you as my fellow students. I needed your coaching in faith, encouragement, endurance, and patience. But since love forbids me to keep silent about you, I hasten to urge you to harmonize your actions with God’s mind. For Jesus Christ — that life from which we can’t be torn — is the Father’s mind, as the bishops too, appointed the world over, reflect the mind of Jesus Christ.

4 Hence you should act in accord with the bishop’s mind, as you surely do. Your presbytery, indeed, which deserves its name and is a credit to God, is as closely tied to the bishop as the strings to a harp. Wherefore your accord and harmonious love is a hymn to Jesus Christ. Yes, one and all, you should form yourselves into a choir, so that, in perfect harmony and taking your pitch from God, you may sing in unison and with one voice to the Father through Jesus Christ. Thus he will heed you, and by your good deeds he will recognize you are members of his Son. Therefore you need to abide in irreproachable unity if you really want to be God’s members forever.

5 If in so short a time I could get so close to your bishop — I do not mean in a natural way, but in a spiritual — how much more do I congratulate you on having such intimacy with him as the Church enjoys with Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ with the Father. That is how unity and harmony come to prevail everywhere. Make no mistake about it. If anyone is not inside the sanctuary, he lacks God’s bread. And if the prayer of one or two has great avail, how much more that of the bishop and the total Church. He who fails to join in your worship shows his arrogance by the very fact of becoming a schismatic. It is written, moreover, “God resists the proud.” Let us, then, heartily avoid resisting the bishop so that we may be subject to God.

6 The more anyone sees the bishop modestly silent, the more he should revere him. For everyone the Master of the house sends on his business, we ought to receive as the One who sent him. It is clear, then, that we should regard the bishop as the Lord himself. Indeed, Onesimus spoke very highly of your godly conduct, that you were all living by the truth and harboring no sectarianism. Nay, you heed nobody beyond what he has to say truthfully about Jesus Christ.

7 Some, indeed, have a wicked and deceitful habit of flaunting the Name about, while acting in a way unworthy of God. You must avoid them like wild beasts. For they are mad dogs which 90bite on the sly. You must be on your guard against them, for it is hard to heal their bite. There is only one physician — of flesh yet spiritual, born yet unbegotten, God incarnate, genuine life in the midst of death, sprung from Mary as well as God, first subject to suffering then beyond it — Jesus Christ our Lord.

8 Let no one mislead you, as, indeed, you are not misled, being wholly God’s. For when you harbor no dissension that can harass you, then you are indeed living in God’s way. A cheap sacrifice I am, but I dedicate myself to you Ephesians — a church forever famous. Carnal people cannot act spiritually, or spiritual people carnally, just as faith cannot act like unbelief, or unbelief like faith. But even what you do in the flesh you do spiritually. For you do everything under Christ’s control.

9 I have heard that some strangers came your way with a wicked teaching. But you did not let them sow it among you. You stopped up your ears to prevent admitting what they disseminated. Like stones of God’s Temple, ready for a building of God the Father, you are being hoisted up by Jesus Christ, as with a crane (that’s the cross!), while the rope you use is the Holy Spirit. Your faith is what lifts you up, while love is the way you ascend to God.

You are all taking part in a religious procession, carrying along with you your God, shrine, Christ, and your holy objects, and decked out from tip to toe in the commandments of Jesus Christ. I too am enjoying it all, because I can talk with you in a letter, and congratulate you on changing your old way of life and setting your love on God alone.

10 “Keep on praying” for others too, for there is a chance of their being converted and getting to God. Let them, then, learn from you at least by your actions. Return their bad temper with gentleness; their boasts with humility; their abuse with prayer. In the face of their error, be “steadfast in the faith.” Return their violence with mildness and do not be intent on getting your own back. By our patience let us show we are their brothers, intent on imitating the Lord, seeing which of us can be the more wronged, robbed, and despised. Thus no devil’s weed will be found among you; but thoroughly pure and self-controlled, you will remain body and soul united to Jesus Christ.

11 The last days are here. So let us abase ourselves and stand in awe of God’s patience, lest it turn out to be our condemnation. Either let us fear the wrath to come or let us value the grace we have: one or the other. Only let our lot be genuine life in Jesus Christ. Do not let anything catch your eye besides him, for whom I carry around these chains — my spiritual pearls! Through them I want to rise from the dead by your prayers. May I ever share in these, so that I may be numbered among the Ephesian Christians who, by the might of Jesus Christ, have always been of one mind with the very apostles.

12 I realize who I am and to whom I am writing. I am a convict; you have been freed. I am in danger; you are safe. You are the route for God’s victims. You have been initiated into the mysteries with Paul, a real saint and martyr, who deserves to be congratulated. When I come to meet God may I follow in his footsteps, who in all his letters mentions your union with Christ Jesus.

13 Try to gather together more frequently to celebrate God’s Eucharist and to praise him. For when you meet with frequency, Satan’s powers are overthrown and his destructiveness is undone by the unanimity of your faith. There is nothing better than peace, by which all strife in heaven and earth is done away.

14 You will not overlook any of this if you have a thorough belief in Jesus Christ and love him. That is the beginning and end of life: faith the beginning and love the end. And when the two are united you have God, and everything else that has to do with real goodness is dependent on them. No one who professes faith falls into sin, nor does one who has learned to love, hate. “The tree is known by its fruit.” Similarly, those who profess to be Christ’s will be recognized by their actions. For what matters is not a momentary act of professing, but being persistently motivated by faith.

15 It is better to keep quiet and be real, than to chatter and be unreal. It is a good thing to teach if, that is, the teacher practices what he preaches. There was one such Teacher, who “spoke and it was done”;and what he did in silence is worthy of the Father. He who has really grasped what Jesus said can appreciate his silence. Thus he will be perfect: his words will mean action, and his very silence will reveal his character.

The Lord overlooks nothing. Even secrets are open to him. Let us, then, do everything as if he were dwelling in us. Thus we shall be his temples and he will be within us as our God — as he actually is. This will be clear to us just to the extent that we love him rightly.

16 Make no mistake, my brothers: adulterers will not inherit God’s Kingdom. If, then, those who act carnally suffer death, how much more shall those who by wicked teaching corrupt God’s faith for which Jesus Christ was crucified. Such a vile creature will go to the unquenchable fire along with anyone who listens to him.

17 The reason the Lord let the ointment be poured on his head was that he might pass on the aroma of incorruption to the Church. Do not be anointed with the foul smell of the teaching of the prince of this world, lest he capture you and rob you of the life ahead of you. Why do we not all come to our senses by accepting God’s knowledge, which is Jesus Christ? Why do we stupidly perish, ignoring the gift which the Lord has really sent?

18 I am giving my life (not that it’s worth much!) for the cross, which unbelievers find a stumbling block, but which means to us salvation and eternal life. “Where is the wise man? Where is the debater?” Where are the boasts of those supposedly intelligent? For our God, Jesus the Christ, was conceived by Mary, in God’s plan being sprung both from the 93seed of David and from the Holy Spirit. He was born and baptized that by his Passion he might hallow water.

19 Now, Mary’s virginity and her giving birth escaped the notice of the prince of this world, as did the Lord’s death — those three secrets crying to be told, but wrought in God’s silence. How, then, were they revealed to the ages? A star shone in heaven brighter than all the stars. Its light was indescribable and its novelty caused amazement. The rest of the stars, along with the sun and the moon, formed a ring around it; yet it outshone them all, and there was bewilderment whence this unique novelty had arisen. As a result all magic lost its power and all witchcraft ceased. Ignorance was done away with, and the ancient kingdom was utterly destroyed, for God was revealing himself as a man, to bring newness of eternal life. What God had prepared was now beginning. Hence everything was in confusion as the destruction of death was being taken in hand.

20 If Jesus Christ allows me, in answer to your prayers, and it is his will, I will explain to you more about plan in a second letter I intend to write. I have only touched on this plan in reference to the New Man Jesus Christ, and how it involves believing in him and loving him, and entails his Passion and resurrection. I will do this especially if the Lord shows me that you are all, every one of you, meeting together under the influence of the grace that we owe to the Name, in one faith and in union with Christ, who was “descended from David according to the flesh” and is Son of man and Son of God. At these meetings you should heed the bishop and presbytery attentively, and break one loaf, which is the medicine of immortality, and the antidote which wards off death but yields continuous life in union with Jesus Christ.

21 I am giving my life for you and for those whom you, to God’s honor, sent to Smyrna. I am writing to you from there, giving the Lord thanks and embracing Polycarp and you too in my love. Bear me in mind, as Jesus Christ does you. Pray for the church in Syria, whence I am being sent off to Rome as a prisoner. I am the least of the faithful there — yet I have been privileged to serve God’s honor. Farewell in God the Father and in Jesus Christ, our common hope.

Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, unto her whichhath been blessed through the grace of God the Fatherin Christ Jesus our Saviour, in whom I salute thechurch which is in Magnesia on the Maeander, and Iwish her abundant greeting in God the Father and inJesus Christ.

CHAPTER 11:1 When I learned the exceeding good order of yourlove in the ways of God, I was gladdened and Idetermined to address you in the faith of JesusChrist.1:2 For being counted worthy to bear a most godlyname, in these bonds, which I carry about, I sing thepraise of the churches; and I pray that there may bein them union of the flesh and of the spirit which areJesus Christ's, our never-failing life -- an union offaith and of love which is preferred before allthings, and -- what is more than all -- an union withJesus and with the Father; in whom if we endurepatiently all the despite of the prince of this worldand escape therefrom, we shall attain unto God.

CHAPTER 22:1 Forasmuch then as I was permitted to see you inthe person of Damas your godly bishop and your worthypresbyters Bassus and Apollonius and my fellow-servantthe deacon Zotion, of whom I would fain have joy, forthat he is subject to the bishop as unto the grace ofGod and to the presbytery as unto the law of JesusChrist: --

CHAPTER 33:1 Yea, and it becometh you also not to presumeupon the youth of your bishop, but according to thepower of God the Father to render unto him allreverence, even as I have learned that the holypresbyters also have not taken advantage of hisoutwardly youthful estate, but give place to him as toone prudent in God; yet not to him, but to the Fatherof Jesus Christ, even to the Bishop of all.3:2 For the honour therefore of Him that desiredyou, it is meet that ye should be obedient withoutdissimulation. For a man doth not so much deceive thisbishop who is seen, as cheat that other who isinvisible; and in such a case he must reckon not withflesh but with God who knoweth the hidden things.

CHAPTER 44:1 It is therefore meet that we not only be calledChristians, but also be such; even as some personshave the bishop's name on their lips, but ineverything act apart from him. Such men appear to menot to keep a good conscience, forasmuch as they donot assemble themselves together lawfully according tocommandment.

CHAPTER 55:1 Seeing them that all things have an end, andthese two -- life and death -- are set before ustogether, and each man shall go _to his own place;_5:2 for just as there are two coinages, the one ofGod and the other of the world, and each of them hathits proper stamp impressed upon it, the unbelieversthe stamp of this world, but the faithful in love thestamp of God the Father through Jesus Christ, throughwhom unless of our own free choice we accept to dieunto His passion, His life is not in us: --

CHAPTER 66:1 Seeing then that in the aforementioned persons Ibeheld your whole people in faith and embraced them, Iadvise you, be ye zealous to do all things in godlyconcord, the bishop presiding after the likeness ofGod and the presbyters after the likeness of thecouncil of the Apostles, with the deacons also who aremost dear to me, having been entrusted with thediaconate of Jesus Christ, who was with the Fatherbefore the worlds and appeared at the end of time.6:2 Therefore do ye all study conformity to God andpay reverence one to another; and let no man regardhis neighbour after the flesh, but love ye one anotherin Jesus Christ always. Let there be nothing among youwhich shall have power to divide you, but be ye unitedwith the bishop and with them that preside over you asan ensample and a lesson of incorruptibility.

CHAPTER 77:1 Therefore as the Lord did nothing without theFather, [being united with Him], either by Himself orby the Apostles, so neither do ye anything without thebishop and the presbyters. And attempt not to thinkanything right for yourselves apart from others: butlet there be one prayer in common, one supplication,one mind, one hope, in love and in joy unblameable,which is Jesus Christ, than whom there is nothingbetter.7:2 Hasten to come together all of you, as to onetemple, even God; as to one altar, even to one JesusChrist, who came forth from One Father and is with Oneand departed unto One.

CHAPTER 88:1 Be not seduced by strange doctrines nor byantiquated fables, which are profitless. For if evenunto this day we live after the manner of Judaism, weavow that we have not received grace:8:2 for the divine prophets lived after ChristJesus. For this cause also they were persecuted, beinginspired by His grace to the end that they which aredisobedient might be fully persuaded that there is oneGod who manifested Himself through Jesus Christ HisSon, who is His Word that proceeded from silence, whoin all things was well-pleasing unto Him that sentHim.

CHAPTER 99:1 If then those who had walked in ancientpractices attained unto newness of hope, no longerobserving sabbaths but fashioning their lives afterthe Lord's day, on which our life also arose throughHim and through His death which some men deny -- amystery whereby we attained unto belief, and for thiscause we endure patiently, that we may be founddisciples of Jesus Christ our only teacher --9:2 if this be so, how shall we be able to liveapart from Him? seeing that even the prophets, beingHis disciples, were expecting Him as their teacherthrough the Spirit. And for this cause He whom theyrightly awaited, when He came, raised them from thedead.

CHAPTER 1010:1 Therefore let us not be insensible to Hisgoodness. For if He should imitate us according to ourdeeds, we are lost. For this cause, seeing that we arebecome His disciples, let us learn to live asbeseemeth Christianity. For whoso is called by anothername besides this, is not of God.10:2 Therefore put away the vile leaven which hathwaxed stale and sour, and betake yourselves to the newleaven, which is Jesus Christ. Be ye salted in Him,that none among you grow putrid, seeing that by yoursavour ye shall be proved.10:3 It is monstrous to talk of Jesus Christ and topractise Judaism. For Christianity did not believe inJudaism, but Judaism in Christianity, wherein _everytongue_ believed and _was gathered together_ untoGod.

CHAPTER 1111:1 Now these things I say, my dearly beloved, notbecause I have learned that any of you are so minded;but as being less than any of you, I would have you beon your guard betimes, that ye fall not into thesnares of vain doctrine; but be ye fully persuadedconcerning the birth and the passion and theresurrection, which took place in the time of thegovernorship of Pontius Pilate; for these things weretruly and certainly done by Jesus Christ our hope;from which hope may it not befal any of you to beturned aside.

CHAPTER 1212:1 Let me have joy of you in all things, if I beworthy. For even though I am in bonds, yet am I notcomparable to one of you who are at liberty. I knowthat ye are not puffed up; for ye have Jesus Christ inyourselves. And, when I praise you, I know that yeonly feel the more shame; as it is written _Therighteous man is a self-accuser._

CHAPTER 1313:1 Do your diligence therefore that ye beconfirmed in the ordinances of the Lord and of theApostles, that ye may _prosper in all thingswhatsoever ye do_ in flesh and spirit, by faith and bylove, in the Son and Father and in the Spirit, in thebeginning and in the end, with your revered bishop,and with the fitly wreathed spiritual circlet of yourpresbytery, and with the deacons who walk after God.13:2 Be obedient to the bishop and to one another,as Jesus Christ was to the Father [according to theflesh], and as the Apostles were to Christ and to theFather, that there may be union both of flesh and ofspirit.

CHAPTER 1414:1 Knowing that ye are full of God, I haveexhorted you briefly. Remember me in your prayers,that I may attain unto God; and remember also thechurch which is in Syria, whereof I am not worthy tobe called a member. For I have need of your unitedprayer and love in God, that it may be granted to thechurch which is in Syria to be refreshed by the dew ofyour fervent supplication.

CHAPTER 1515:1 The Ephesians from Smyrna salute you, fromwhence also I write to you. They are here with me forthe glory of God, as also are ye; and they havecomforted me in all things, together with Polycarpbishop of the Smyrnaeans. Yea, and all the otherchurches salute you in the honour of Jesus Christ.Fare ye well in godly concord, and possess ye astedfast spirit, which is Jesus Christ.

Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, to the holy Church which is at Tralles, in Asia, beloved by God, the Father of Jesus Christ, elect and worthy of God, at peace by the flesh and blood and the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, our hope in the resurrection unto him; which I salute in the fulness, after the Apostolic manner, and pray that it may rejoice greatly.

CHAPTER 11:1 I have known that you have a disposition blameless and unmovable in patience, not merely for outward use, but in your very nature. Even as Polybius, your bishop, hath showed unto me, who came unto me in Smyrna, according to the will of God and of Jesus Christ, and so rejoiced with me in my bonds in Jesus Christ, that I beheld your whole multitude in him.

1:2 Having received, therefore, through him your benevolence, which is according to God, I seemed to have found you, as I knew already, to be imitators of God.

CHAPTER 22:1 For when ye are subject unto the bishop as unto Jesus Christ, ye appear unto me not to live according to man, but according to Jesus Christ who died for us, that ye, by believing on his death, might escape death.

2:2 It is necessary, therefore, that ye should do nothing without the bishop, as indeed ye do, and that ye should submit yourselves to the presbytery also, as to the Apostles of Jesus Christ, our hope, in whom we shall be found walking.

2:3 It is necessary, also, that the deacons, being ministers of the mysteries of Jesus Christ, should in every way please all men. For they are not ministers of meat and drink, but servants of the Church of God; it is therefore their duty to avoid offences as fire.

CHAPTER 33:1 In like manner, let all men reverence the deacons, and the bishop likewise, even as Jesus Christ who is the Son of the Father; and the presbyters as the council of God, and as the bond of the Apostles. Without these there is no Church;

3:2 concerning which things I am persuaded that it is so with you: for I have received a specimen of your love, and have it with myself in the person of your bishop, whose appearance is great instruction, and whose meekness is strength; whom I reckon that even the ungodly respect, loving him because he spareth not himself.

3:3 Have I then, though able to write on this subject, come to such a degree of reputation, that though condemned, I should give ordinances unto you as an Apostle?

CHAPTER 44:1 I know many things in God, but I measure myself that I may not be lost by boasting; for now is it necessary for me to fear even more, and not to attend to those who puff me up, for they who say such things to me scourge me.

4:2 Of a truth, I am content to suffer, yet I know not whether I be worthy. For this my zeal doth not appear to many, but it maketh war upon me with greater force. Therefore I need meekness, by which the ruler of this world is destroyed.

CHAPTER 55:1 Am I not able to write to you concerning heavenly things? but I fear lest I should cause harm to you, because ye are babes; and (forgive me) lest not being able to receive it, ye be choked.

5:2 And I, too, not being according to my bonds, but being able to know the things celestial, and the stations of the angels, and the conflicts of principalities, both the things visible and invisible, yet even on that account am still a learner; for many things are lacking to us, that we may not fall short of God.

CHAPTER 66:1 I therefore exhort you, yet not I but the love of Jesus Christ, to use the Christian food alone, and to abstain from all strange herbage, which is heresy;

6:2 the time that now is embraces Jesus Christ, not the devil. Do ye therefore, having again put on patience, refresh yourselves in faith, which is the flesh of the Lord, and love, which is the blood of Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER 77:1 Guard yourselves, therefore, against such as these. And this will happen unto you if ye be not puffed up, and separate not from our God Jesus Christ, and the bishop, and the commandments of the Apostles.

7:2 He who is within the altar is pure; that is, he who doeth anything apart from the bishop and the presbytery and the deacons, he is not pure in his conscience.

CHAPTER 88:1 It is not because I have known anything of the kind in you, but I put you on your guard beforehand because ye are my beloved, foreseeing the snares of the devil. Do ye therefore, having again put on patience, refresh yourselves in faith, which is the flesh of the Lord, and love, which is the blood of Jesus Christ.

8:2 Let none of you have aught against his neighbour; give no opportunities to the Gentiles, that the multitude which is in God may not be blasphemed for the folly of a few. For woe unto him, through whose foolishness my name among certain men is blasphemed.

CHAPTER 99:1 Be ye deaf, therefore, when any one speaketh unto you apart from Jesus Christ, who is of the race of David, who was born of Mary, who was truly born, ate and drank, was truly persecuted under Pontius Pilate, was truly crucified and died, in the sight of the things that are in heaven and on earth and under the earth; 9:2 and was truly raised from the dead, his Father having raised him up; according to the similitude of which also his Father shall raise up us who believe in him in Christ Jesus, apart from whom we have not the true life.

CHAPTER 1010:1 But if, as certain men who are without God, that is unbelievers, assert, his passion was an appearance, being themselves an appearance, why am I bound, and why do I pray to fight with wild beasts? therefore I die in vain. Of a truth, do I not lie against the Lord?

CHAPTER 1111:1 Avoid therefore the evil branches that produce deadly fruit, of which if any man taste he dieth forthwith. These, therefore, are not the planting of the Father,

11:2 for if they were they would appear branches of the cross, and their fruit would have been incorruptible, through which cross in his passion he exhorteth us who are his members. The head, therefore, cannot be born apart without the members, since God promiseth union, which is himself.

CHAPTER 1212:1 I salute you from Smyrna, together with the Churches of God who are present with me, who have in all things refreshed me, both in flesh and in spirit;

12:2 my bonds exhort you which I bear about for the sake of Jesus Christ, asking that I may attain unto God. Abide in your unity, and in prayer one with another, for it becometh each of you separately, and especially the presbyters, to refresh the bishop unto the honour of the Father, Jesus Christ and the Apostles.

12:3 I pray you in love to hear me, that I may not be for a testimony against you, by writing among you; and pray ye for me also, who need your love in the mercy of God, that I may be thought worthy of the lot to which I press forward to attain, that I may not be found a castaway.

CHAPTER 1313:1 The love of the Smyrnaeans and Ephesians saluteth you. Remember in your prayers the Church which is in Syria, of which I am not worthy to be called bishop, being the last of them.

13:2 Farewell in Jesus Christ, being subject to the bishop as to the commandment; and in like manner also to the presbytery. And do ye each of you love one another with undivided heart.

13:3 Purify ye my spirit, not only now, but when I attain unto God. For I am still in danger; but the Father in Jesus Christ is faithful to fulfil my request and yours, in whom may ye be found blameless.

Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, unto her thathath found mercy in the bountifulness of the FatherMost High and of Jesus Christ His only Son; to thechurch that is beloved and enlightened through thewill of Him who willed all things that are, by faithand love towards Jesus Christ our God; even unto herthat hath the presidency in the country of the regionof the Romans, being worthy of God, worthy of honour,worthy of felicitation, worthy of praise, worthy ofsuccess, worthy in purity, and having the presidencyof love, walking in the law of Christ and bearing theFather's name; which church also I salute in the nameof Jesus Christ the Son of the Father; unto them thatin flesh and spirit are united unto His everycommandment, being filled with the grace of Godwithout wavering, and filtered clear from everyforeign stain; abundant greeting in Jesus Christ ourGod in blamelessness.

CHAPTER 11:1 Forasmuch as in answer to my prayer to God ithath been granted me to see your godly countenances,so that I have obtained even more than I asked; forwearing bonds in Christ Jesus I hope to salute you, ifit be the Divine will that I should be counted worthyto reach unto the end;1:2 for the beginning verily is well ordered, if sobe I shall attain unto the goal, that I may receivemine inheritance without hinderance. For I dread yourvery love, lest it do me an injury; for it is easy foryou to do what ye will, but for me it is difficult toattain unto God, unless ye shall spare me.

CHAPTER 22:1 For I would not have you to be men-pleasers butto please God, as indeed ye do please Him. For neithershall I myself ever find an opportunity such as thisto attain unto God, nor can ye, if ye be silent, winthe credit of any nobler work. For, if ye be silentand leave me alone, I am a word of God; but if yedesire my flesh, then shall I be again a mere cry.2:2 [Nay] grant me nothing more than that I bepoured out a libation to God, while there is still analtar ready; that forming yourselves into a chorus inlove ye may sing to the Father in Jesus Christ, forthat God hath vouchsafed that the bishop from Syriashould be found in the West, having summoned him fromthe East. It is good to set from the world unto God,that I may rise unto Him.

CHAPTER 33:1 Ye never grudged any one; ye were theinstructors of others. And my desire is that thoselessons shall hold good which as teachers ye enjoin.3:2 Only pray that I may have power within andwithout, so that I may not only say it but also desireit; that I may not only be called a Christian, butalso be found one. For if I shall be found so, thencan I also be called one, and be faithful then, when Iam no more visible to the world.3:3 Nothing visible is good. For our God JesusChrist, being in the Father, is the more plainlyvisible. The Work is not of persuasiveness, butChristianity is a thing of might, whensoever it ishated by the world.

CHAPTER 44:1 I write to all the churches, and I bid all menknow, that of my own free will I die for God, unlessye should hinder me. I exhort you, be ye not anunseasonable kindness to me. Let me be given to thewild beasts, for through them I can attain unto God. Iam God's wheat, and I am ground by the teeth of wildbeasts that I may be found pure bread [of Christ].4:2 Rather entice the wild beasts, that they maybecome my sepulchre and may leave no part of my bodybehind, so that I may not, when I am fallen asleep, beburdensome to any one. Then shall I be truly adisciple of Jesus Christ, when the world shall not somuch as see my body. Supplicate the Lord for me, thatthrough these instruments I may be found a sacrificeto God.4:3 I do not enjoin you, as Peter and Paul did. Theywere Apostles, I am a convict; they were free, but Iam a slave to this very hour. Yet if I shall suffer,then am I a freed-man of Jesus Christ, and I shallrise free in Him. Now I am learning in my bonds to putaway every desire.

CHAPTER 55:1 From Syria even unto Rome I fight with wildbeasts, by land and sea, by night and by day, beingbound amidst ten leopards, even a company of soldiers,who only wax worse when they are kindly treated.Howbeit through their wrong doings I become morecompletely a disciple; _yet am I not herebyjustified._5:2 May I have joy of the beasts that have beenprepared for me; and I pray that I may find themprompt; nay I will entice them that they may devour mepromptly, not as they have done to some, refusing totouch them through fear. Yea though of themselves theyshould not be willing while I am ready, I myself willforce them to it.5:3 Bear with me. I know what is expedient for me.Now am I beginning to be a disciple. May nought ofthings visible and things invisible envy me; that Imay attain unto Jesus Christ. Come fire and cross andgrapplings with wild beasts, [cuttings and manglings,]wrenching of bones, hacking of limbs, crushings of mywhole body, come cruel tortures of the devil to assailme. Only be it mine to attain unto Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER 66:1 The farthest bounds of the universe shall profitme nothing, neither the kingdoms of this world. It isgood for me to die for Jesus Christ rather than toreign over the farthest bounds of the earth. Him Iseek, who died on our behalf; Him I desire, who roseagain [for our sake]. The pangs of a new birth areupon me.6:2 Bear with me, brethren. Do not hinder me fromliving; do not desire my death. Bestow not on theworld one who desireth to be God's, neither allure himwith material things. Suffer me to receive the purelight. When I am come thither, then shall I be a man.6:3 Permit me to be an imitator of the passion of myGod. If any man hath Him within himself, let himunderstand what I desire, and let him have fellow-feeling with me, for he knoweth the things whichstraiten me.

CHAPTER 77:1 The prince of this world would fain tear me inpieces and corrupt my mind to Godward. Let not any ofyou therefore who are near abet him. Rather stand yeon my side, that is on God's side. Speak not of JesusChrist and withal desire the world.7:2 Let not envy have a home in you. Even though Imyself, when I am with you, should beseech you, obeyme not; but rather give credence to these things whichI write to you. [For] I write to you in the midst oflife, yet lusting after death. My lust hath beencrucified, and there is no fire of material longing inme, but only water living +and speaking+ in me, sayingwithin me, Come to the Father.7:3 I have no delight in the food of corruption orin the delights of this life. I desire the bread ofGod, which is the flesh of Christ who was of the seedof David; and for a draught I desire His blood, whichis love incorruptible.

CHAPTER 88:1 I desire no longer to live after the manner ofmen; and this shall be, if ye desire it. Desire ye,that ye yourselves also may be desired.8:2 In a brief letter I beseech you; believe me. AndJesus Christ shall make manifest unto you thesethings, that I speak the truth -- Jesus Christ, theunerring mouth in whom the Father hath spoken [truly].8:3 Entreat ye for me, that I may attain [throughthe Holy Spirit]. I write not unto you after theflesh, but after the mind of God. If I shall suffer,it was your desire; if I shall be rejected, it wasyour hatred.

CHAPTER 99:1 Remember in your prayers the church which is inSyria, which hath God for its shepherd in my stead.Jesus Christ alone shall be its bishop -- He and yourlove.9:2 But for myself I am ashamed to be called one ofthem; for neither am I worthy, being the very last ofthem and an untimely birth: but I have found mercythat I should be some one, if so be I shall attainunto God.9:3 My spirit saluteth you, and the love of thechurches which received me in the name of JesusChrist, not as a mere wayfarer: for even thosechurches which did not lie on my route after the fleshwent before me from city to city.

CHAPTER 1010:1 Now I write these things to you from Smyrna bythe hand of the Ephesians who are worthy of allfelicitation. And Crocus also, a name very dear to me,is with me, with many others besides.10:2 As touching those who went before me from Syriato Rome unto the glory of God, I believe that ye havereceived instructions; whom also apprise that I amnear; for they all are worthy of God and of you, andit becometh you to refresh them in all things.10:3 These things I write to you on the 9th beforethe Kalends of September. Fare ye well unto the end inthe patient waiting for Jesus Christ.

Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, unto Polycarpwho is bishop of the church of the Smyrnaeans orrather who hath for his bishop God the Father andJesus Christ, abundant greeting.

CHAPTER 11:1 Welcoming thy godly mind which is grounded as itwere on an immovable rock, I give exceeding glory thatit hath been vouchsafed me to see thy blameless face,whereof I would fain have joy in God.1:2 I exhort thee in the grace wherewith thou artclothed to press forward in thy course and to exhortall men that they may be saved. Vindicate thine officein all diligence of flesh and of spirit. Have a carefor union, than which there is nothing better. Bearall men, as the Lord also beareth thee. Suffer all menin love, as also thou doest.1:3 Give thyself to unceasing prayers. Ask forlarger wisdom than thou hast. Be watchful, and keepthy spirit from slumbering. Speak to each manseverally after the manner of God. Bear the maladiesof all, as a perfect athlete. Where there is moretoil, there is much gain.

CHAPTER 22:1 If thou lovest good scholars, this is notthankworthy in thee. Rather bring the more pestilentto submission by gentleness. All wounds are not healedby the same salve. Allay sharp pains by fomentations.2:2 _Be thou prudent as the serpent_ in all things _and guileless_ always _as the dove._ Therefore art thou made of flesh and spirit, that thou mayest humour the things which appear before thine eyes; and as for the invisible things, pray thou that they may be revealed unto thee; that thou mayest be lacking in nothing, but mayest abound in every spiritual gift.2:3 The season requireth thee, as pilots requirewinds or as a storm-tossed mariner a haven, that itmay attain unto God. Be sober, as God's athlete. Theprize is incorruption and life eternal, concerningwhich thou also art persuaded. In all things I amdevoted to thee -- I and my bonds which thou didstcherish.

CHAPTER 33:1 Let not those that seem to be plausible and yetteach strange doctrine dismay thee. Stand thou firm,as an anvil when it is smitten. It is the part of agreat athlete to receive blows and be victorious. Butespecially must we for God's sake endure all things,that He also may endure us.3:2 Be thou more diligent than thou art. Mark theseasons. Await Him that is above every season, theEternal, the Invisible, who became visible for oursake, the Impalpable, the Impassible, who suffered forour sake, who endured in all ways for our sake.

CHAPTER 44:1 Let not widows be neglected. After the Lord bethou their protector. Let nothing be done without thyconsent; neither do thou anything without the consentof God, as indeed thou doest not. Be stedfast.4:2 Let meetings be held more frequently. Seek outall men by name.4:3 Despise not slaves, whether men or women. Yetlet not these again be puffed up, but let them servethe more faithfully to the glory of God, that they mayobtain a better freedom from God. Let them not desireto be set free at the public cost, lest they be foundslaves of lust.

CHAPTER 55:1 Flee evil arts, or rather hold thou discourseabout these. Tell my sisters to love the Lord and tobe content with their husbands in flesh and in spirit.In like manner also charge my brothers in the name ofJesus Christ to love their wives, _as the Lord lovedthe Church._5:2 If any one is able to abide in chastity to the honour of the flesh of the Lord, let him so abide without boasting. If he boast, he is lost; and if it be known beyond the bishop, he is polluted. It becometh men and women too, when they marry, to unite themselves with the consent of the bishop, that the marriage may be after the Lord and not after concupiscence. Let all things be done to the honour of God.

CHAPTER 66:1 Give ye heed to the bishop, that God also maygive heed to you. I am devoted to those who aresubject to the bishop, the presbyters, the deacons.May it be granted me to have my portion with them inthe presence of God. Toil together one with another,struggle together, run together, suffer together, liedown together, rise up together, as God's stewards andassessors and ministers.6:2 Please the Captain in whose army ye serve, fromwhom also ye will receive your pay. Let none of you befound a deserter. Let your baptism abide with you asyou shield; your faith as your helmet; your love asyour spear; your patience as your body armour. Letyour works be your deposits, that ye may receive yourassets due to you. Be ye therefore long-suffering onewith another in gentleness, as God is with you. May Ihave joy of you always.

CHAPTER 77:1 Seeing that the church which is in Antioch ofSyria hath peace, as it hath been reported to me,through your prayers, I myself also have been the morecomforted since God hath banished my care; if so be Imay through suffering attain unto God, that I may befound a disciple through your intercession.7:2 It becometh thee, most blessed Polycarp, to calltogether a godly council and to elect some one amongyou who is very dear to you and zealous also, whoshall be fit to bear the name of God's courier -- toappoint him, I say, that he may go to Syria andglorify your zealous love unto the glory of God.7:3 A Christian hath no authority over himself, butgiveth his time to God. This is God's work, and yoursalso, when ye shall complete it: for I trust in theDivine grace, that ye are ready for an act of well-doing which is meet for God. Knowing the fervour ofyour sincerity, I have exhorted you in a short letter.

CHAPTER 88:1 Since I have not been able to write to all thechurches, by reason of my sailing suddenly from Troasto Neapolis, as the Divine will enjoineth, thou shaltwrite to the churches in front, as one possessing themind of God, to the intent that they also may do thissame thing -- let those who are able send messengers,and the rest letters by the persons who are sent bythee, that ye may be glorified by an ever memorabledeed -- for this is worthy of thee.8:2 I salute all by name, and especially the wife ofEpitropus with her whole household and her children's.I salute Attalus my beloved. I salute him that shallbe appointed to go to Syria. Grace shall be with himalways, and with Polycarp who sendeth him.8:3 I bid you farewell always in our God JesusChrist, in whom abide ye in the unity and supervisionof God. I salute Alce, a name very dear to me. Fare yewell in the Lord.

Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, to the churchof God the Father and of Jesus Christ the Beloved,which hath been mercifully endowed with every grace,being filled with faith and love and lacking in nograce, most reverend and bearing holy treasures; tothe church which is in Smyrna of Asia, in a blamelessspirit and in the word of God abundant greeting.

CHAPTER 11:1 I give glory to Jesus Christ the God whobestowed such wisdom upon you; for I have perceivedthat ye are established in faith immovable, being asit were nailed on the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ,in flesh and in spirit, and firmly grounded in love inthe blood of Christ, fully persuaded as touching ourLord that He is truly of the race of David accordingto the flesh, but Son of God by the Divine will andpower, truly born of a virgin and baptized by Johnthat _all righteousness might be fulfilled_ by Him,1:2 truly nailed up in the flesh for our sakes underPontius Pilate and Herod the tetrarch (of which fruitare we -- that is, of His most blessed passion); that_He might set up an ensign_ unto all the ages throughHis resurrection, for His saints and faithful people,whether among Jews or among Gentiles, in one body ofHis Church.

CHAPTER 22:1 For He suffered all these things for our sakes[that we might be saved]; and He suffered truly, asalso He raised Himself truly; not as certainunbelievers say, that He suffered in semblance, beingthemselves mere semblance. And according as theiropinions are, so shall it happen to them, for they arewithout body and demon-like.

CHAPTER 33:1 For I know and believe that He was in the flesheven after the resurrection;3:2 and when He came to Peter and his company, Hesaid to them, _Lay hold and handle me, and see that Iam not a demon without body._ And straightway theytouched Him, and they believed, being joined unto Hisflesh and His blood. Wherefore also they despiseddeath, nay they were found superior to death.3:3 And after His resurrection He [both] ate withthem and drank with them as one in the flesh, thoughspiritually He was united with the Father.

CHAPTER 44:1 But these things I warn you, dearly beloved,knowing that ye yourselves are so minded. Howbeit Iwatch over you betimes to protect you from wild beastsin human form -- men whom not only should ye notreceive, but, if it were possible, not so much as meet[them]; only pray ye for them, if haply they mayrepent. This indeed is difficult, but Jesus Christ,our true life, hath power over it.4:2 For if these things were done by our Lord insemblance, then am I also a prisoner in semblance. Andwhy then have I delivered myself over to death, untofire, unto sword, unto wild beasts? But near to thesword, near to God; in company with wild beasts, incompany with God. Only let it be in the name of JesusChrist, so that we may suffer together with Him. Iendure all things, seeing that He Himself enableth me,who is perfect Man.

CHAPTER 55:1 But certain persons ignorantly deny Him, orrather have been denied by Him, being advocates ofdeath rather than of the truth; and they have not beenpersuaded by the prophecies nor by the law of Moses,nay nor even to this very hour by the Gospel, nor bythe sufferings of each of us severally;5:2 for they are of the same mind also concerningus. For what profit is it [to me], if a man praisethme, but blasphemeth my Lord, not confessing that Hewas a bearer of flesh? Yet he that affirmeth not this,doth thereby deny Him altogether, being himself abearer of a corpse.5:3 But their names, being unbelievers, I have notthought fit to record in writing; nay, far be it fromme even to remember them, until they repent and returnto the passion, which is our resurrection.

CHAPTER 66:1 Let no man be deceived. Even the heavenly beingsand the glory of the angels and the rulers visible andinvisible, if they believe not in the blood of Christ[who is God], judgment awaiteth them also. _He thatreceiveth let him receive._ Let not office puff up anyman; for faith and love are all in all, and nothing ispreferred before them.6:2 But mark ye those who hold strange doctrinetouching the grace of Jesus Christ which came to us,how that they are contrary to the mind of God. Theyhave no care for love, none for the widow, none forthe orphan, none for the afflicted, none for theprisoner, none for the hungry or thirsty. They abstainfrom eucharist (thanksgiving) and prayer, because theyallow not that the eucharist is the flesh of ourSaviour Jesus Christ, which flesh suffered for oursins, and which the Father of His goodness raised up.

CHAPTER 77:1 They therefore that gainsay the good gift of Godperish by their questionings. But it were expedientfor them to have love, that they may also rise again.7:2 It is therefore meet that ye should abstain fromsuch, and not speak of them either privately or inpublic; but should give heed to the Prophets, andespecially to the Gospel, wherein the passion is shownunto us and the resurrection is accomplished.

CHAPTER 88:1 [But] shun divisions, as the beginning of evils.Do ye all follow your bishop, as Jesus Christ followedthe Father, and the presbytery as the Apostles; and tothe deacons pay respect, as to God's commandment. Letno man do aught of things pertaining to the Churchapart from the bishop. Let that be held a valideucharist which is under the bishop or one to whom heshall have committed it.8:2 Wheresoever the bishop shall appear, there letthe people be; even as where Jesus may be, there isthe universal Church. It is not lawful apart from thebishop either to baptize or to hold a love-feast; butwhatsoever he shall approve, this is well-pleasing alsoto God; that everything which ye do may be sure andvalid.

CHAPTER 99:1 It is reasonable henceforth that we wake tosoberness, while we have [still] time to repent andturn to God. It is good to recognise God and thebishop. He that honoureth the bishop is houroured ofGod; he that doeth aught without the knowledge of thebishop rendereth service to the devil.9:2 May all things therefore abound unto you ingrace, for ye are worthy. Ye refreshed me in allthings, and Jesus Christ shall refresh you. In myabsence and in my presence ye cherished me. May Godrecompense you; for whose sake if ye endure allthings, ye shall attain unto Him.

CHAPTER 1010:1 Philo and Rhaius Agathopus, who followed me inthe cause of God, ye did well to receive as ministersof [Christ] God; who also give thanks to the Lord foryou, because ye refreshed them in every way. Nothingshall be lost to you.10:2 My spirit is devoted for you, as also are mybonds, which ye despised not, neither were ashamed ofthem. Nor shall He, who is perfect faithfulness, beashamed of you, even Jesus Christ.

CHAPTER 1111:1 Your prayer sped forth unto the church which isin Antioch of Syria; whence coming a prisoner in mostgodly bonds I salute all men, though I am not worthyto belong to it, being the very last of them. By theDivine will was this vouchsafed to me, not of my owncomplicity, but by God's grace, which I pray may begiven to me perfectly, that through your prayers I mayattain unto God.11:2 Therefore that your work may be perfected bothon earth and in heaven, it is meet that your churchshould appoint, for the honour of God, an ambassadorof God that he may go as far as Syria and congratulatethem because they are at peace, and have recoveredtheir proper stature, and their proper bulk hath beenrestored to them.11:3 It seemed to me therefore a fitting thing thatye should send one of your own people with a letter,that he might join with them in giving glory for thecalm which by God's will had overtaken them, andbecause they were already reaching a haven throughyour prayers. Seeing ye are perfect, let your counselsalso be perfect; for if ye desire to do well, God isready to grant the means.

CHAPTER 1212:1 The love of the brethren which are in Troassaluteth you; from whence also I write to you by thehand of Burrhus, whom ye sent with me jointly with theEphesians your brethren. He hath refreshed me in allways. And I would that all imitated him, for he is anensample of the ministry of God. The Divine graceshall requite him in all things.12:2 I salute your godly bishop and your venerablepresbytery [and] my fellow-servants the deacons, andall of you severally and in a body, in the name ofJesus Christ, and in His flesh and blood, in Hispassion and resurrection, which was both carnal andspiritual, in the unity of God and of yourselves.Grace to you, mercy, peace, patience, always.

CHAPTER 1313:1 I salute the households of my brethren withtheir wives and children, and the virgins who arecalled widows. I bid you farewell in the power of theFather. Philo, who is with me, saluteth you.13:2 I salute the household of Gavia, and I praythat she may be grounded in faith and love both offlesh and of spirit. I salute Alce, a name very dearto me, and Daphnus the incomparable, and Eutecnus, andall by name. Fare ye well in the grace of God.

Ignatius, who is also Theophorus, to the churchof God the Father and of Jesus Christ, which is inPhiladelphia of Asia, which hath found mercy and isfirmly established in the concord of God and rejoicethin the passion of our Lord and in His resurrectionwithout wavering, being fully assured in all mercy;which church I salute in the blood of Jesus Christ,that is eternal and abiding joy; more especially ifthey be at one with the bishop and the presbyters whoare with him, and with the deacons that have beenappointed according to the mind of Jesus Christ, whomafter His own will He confirmed and established by HisHoly Spirit.

CHAPTER 11:1 This your bishop I have found to hold theministry which pertaineth to the common weal, not ofhimself or through men, nor yet for vain glory, but inthe love of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.And I am amazed at his forbearance; whose silence ismore powerful than others' speech.1:2 For he is attuned in harmony with thecommandments, as a lyre with its strings. Wherefore mysoul blesseth his godly mind, for I have found that itis virtuous and perfect -- even the imperturbable andcalm temper which he hath, while living in all godlyforbearance.

CHAPTER 22:1 As children therefore [of the light] of thetruth, shun division and wrong doctrines; and wherethe shepherd is, there follow ye as sheep.2:2 For many specious wolves with baneful delightslead captive the runners in God's race; but, where yeare at one, they will find no place.

CHAPTER 33:1 Abstain from noxious herbs, which are not thehusbandry of Jesus Christ, because they are not theplanting of the Father. Not that I have found divisionamong you, but filtering.3:2 For as many as are of God and of Jesus Christ,they are with the bishop; and as many as shall repentand enter into the unity of the Church, these alsoshall be of God, that they may be living after JesusChrist.3:3 Be not deceived, my brethren. If any manfolloweth one that maketh a schism, _he doth notinherit the kingdom of God._ If any man walketh instrange doctrine, he hath no fellowship with thepassion.

CHAPTER 44:1 Be ye careful therefore to observe one eucharist(for there is one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ andone cup unto union in His blood; there is one altar,as there is one bishop, together with the presbteryand the deacons my fellow-servants), that whatsoeverye do, ye may do it after God.

CHAPTER 55:1 My brethren, my heart overfloweth altogether inlove towards you; and rejoicing above measure I watchover your safety; yet not I, but Jesus Christ, wearingwhose bonds I am the more afraid, because I am not yetperfected. But your prayer will make me perfect [untoGod], that I may attain unto the inheritance wherein Ihave found mercy, taking refuge in the Gospel as theflesh of Jesus and in the Apostles as the presbyteryof the Church.5:2 Yea, and we love the prophets also, because theytoo pointed to the Gospel in their preaching and settheir hope on Him and awaited Him; in whom also havingfaith they were saved in the unity of Jesus Christ,being worthy of all love and admiration as holy men,approved of Jesus Christ and numbered together in theGospel of our common hope.

CHAPTER 66:1 But if any one propound Judaism unto you, herehim not: for it is better to hear Christianity from aman who is circumcised than Judaism from oneuncircumcised. But if either the one or the otherspeak not concerning Jesus Christ, I look on them astombstones and graves of the dead, whereon areinscribed only the names of men.6:2 Shun ye therefore the wicked arts and plottingsof the prince of this world, lest haply ye be crushedby his devices, and wax weak in your love. Butassemble yourselves all together with undivided heart.6:3 And I give thanks to my God, that I have a goodconscience in my dealings with you, and no man canboast either in secret or openly, that I wasburdensome to any one in small things or in great. Yeaand for all among whom I spoke, it is my prayer thatthey may not turn it into a testimony againstthemselves.

CHAPTER 77:1 For even though certain persons desired todeceive me after the flesh, yet the spirit is notdeceived, being from God; for _it knoweth whence itcometh and where it goeth,_ and it searcheth out thehidden things. I cried out, when I was among you; Ispake with a loud voice, with God's own voice, Give yeheed to the bishop and the presbytery and deacons.7:2 Howbeit there were those who suspected me ofsaying this, because I knew beforehand of the divisionof certain persons. But He in whom I am bound is mywitness that I learned it not from flesh of man; itwas the preaching of the Spirit who spake on thiswise; Do nothing without the bishop; keep your fleshas a temple of God; cherish union; shun divisions; beimitators of Jesus Christ, as He Himself also was ofHis Father.

CHAPTER 88:1 I therefore did my own part, as a man composedunto union. But where there is division and anger,there God abideth not. Now the Lord forgiveth all menwhen they repent, if repenting they return to theunity of God and to the council of the bishop. I havefaith in the grace of Jesus Christ, who shall strikeoff every fetter from you;8:2 and I entreat you, Do ye nothing in a spirit offactiousness but after the teaching of Christ. For Iheard certain persons saying, If I find it not in thecharters, I believe it not in the Gospel. And when Isaid to them, It is written, they answered me That isthe question. But as for me, my charter is JesusChrist, the inviolable charter is His cross and Hisdeath and His resurrection, and faith through Him;wherein I desire to be justified through your prayers.

CHAPTER 99:1 The priests likewise were good, but better isthe High-priest to whom is committed the holy ofholies; for to Him alone are committed the hiddenthings of God; He Himself being the door of theFather, through which Abraham and Isaac and Jacobenter in, and the Prophets and the Apostles and thewhole Church; all these things combine in the unity ofGod.9:2 But the Gospel hath a singular preeminence inthe advent of the Saviour, even our Lord Jesus Christ,and His passion and resurrection. For the belovedProphets in their preaching pointed to Him; but theGospel is the completion of immortality. All thingstogether are good, if ye believe through love.

CHAPTER 1010:1 Seeing that in answer to your prayer and to thetender sympathy which ye have in Christ Jesus, it hathbeen reported to me that the church which is inAntioch of Syria hath peace, it is becoming for you,as a church of God, to appoint a deacon to go thitheras God's ambassador, that he may congratulate themwhen they are assembled together, and may glorify theName.10:2 Blessed in Jesus Christ is he that shall becounted worthy of such a ministration; and yeyourselves shall be glorified. Now if ye desire it, itis not impossible for you to do this for the name ofGod; even as the churches which are nearest have sentbishops, and others presbyters and deacons.

CHAPTER 1111:1 But as touching Philo the deacon from Cilicia,a man of good report, who now also ministereth to mein the word of God, together with Rhaius Agathopus, anelect one who followeth me from Syria, having biddenfarewell to this present life; the same who also bearwitness to you -- and I myself thank God on yourbehalf, because ye received them, as I trust the Lordwill receive you. But may those who treated them withdishonour be redeemed through the grace of JesusChrist.11:2 The love of the brethren which are in Troassaluteth you; from whence also I write to you by thehand of Burrhus, who was sent with me by the Ephesiansand Smyrnaeans as a mark of honour. The Lord shallhonour them, even Jesus Christ, on whom their hope isset in flesh and soul and spirit, by faith, by love,by concord. Fare ye well in Christ Jesus our common hope.

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